Wichita eagle., 1887-11-23

| is % feet long, 43 feet wide and IL feet
above the pavement This rock Is the
most sacred place in the world to the
| Jews, and the MoslemS regard 1t next IN
| Importance to the grave OF the Prophet
at Mecca. The Jews believe the ark Of
| the covenant once stood here, that 1t was
here concealed by jeremiah and still lies
buried beneath the rock. To them
it is holy ground and they never
walk the pavements of the mosque for
fear Of treading on the Holy of Holes,
which at one period OF their history
meant sudden death. A few days ago 1t
was deemed necessary to make some re-
pairs inside the dome, and as they are
| the only skilled workmen hereabouts,
| their services were demanded. But they
absolutely refused to enter the mosque
at any price. However, their consclen-
tiOus scruples were overcome az last by
consenting to do the work providing
they were carried back and forth on the
shoulders of the MosleIns.
The MOsie1ns reverence the rock be-
cause Abraham sacrificed here and they
are lust as proud-the Bedouln portion
OF having Abraham as their father as
the Jews. Notwithstanding the scurvy
trick he played the mother or their race
when he set her and her illegitlmate son
down in the wilderness to Starve. FROM
this rock Mahonet i,scended TO Heaven
on the back OF his miraculous steed, II
Burak, the hoof prints OF which are still
seen in the rock. The rock Neas deslrous
of entering paradise with the pfnphet.
but the Angel Gabriel showed it back,
and the imprint of his hands still remain
on its surface. They claim that the rock
hangs over the abyss, without material
support other than a slender column
which you observe to the right in lean
ing position, as you ascend to the
grotto underneath where Abraham,
David, Solomon. Elijah and
Mahomet resorted for prayer.
The bottom of the cave sounds hollow,
and in the roof is a circular hole which
gives the whole thing away, stamping it
as nothing more than an ancient cistern.
The interior of the mosque is handsomely
embellished with mosaics Of exquisite
workmanship, some of it quite ancient.
In front of the north entrance small
slab of jasper is let in the floor in which
Mahomet drove nineteen golden nails.
A nail falls out at the end of each epoch
and when all are gone the end Of the
world will arrive" They show you but
three nails and half, which were saved
by the Angel Gabriel, who one day
caught the devil destroying them, and
these were all that remained. When the
crusaders beheld the mosque they were
electrified and thought it was the VERT
able temple Of Solomon. The Knights
Templar here came into existence and
adopted the dome Of the rock as part of
their armOrial bearings. Walking across
the plateau eastward we pass the beauti-
full little pavilion called David's Place of
Judgment, and descending a few steps
come to fountain that was fed by water
from Solomon's Pools, of which Y shall
have something to say hereafter. In
front of this is q large mosque, once a
Christian vascilla, founded by the En-
peror Justinian. 1t is much used as place
Of worship by the moslems. In the apse
two small footprints in stone are shown
as those OF Jesus, when at the age of IL
wears he was found in the temple in the
midst Of the doctors hearing them and
asking questions This basilica does
not differ materially from others de-
scribed in former letters. except that it
has been somewhat modified to suit the
religious exercises of different faith.
There is large window here looking out
into the valley of Jahosiphat and the
brook KidrOn. One obtains a good view
also Of the village of Sloan, beneath
which is the pool of that name. l men
ton this window more for the reason of
relating the superstitious practice con-
nected with it. than for any merit that
it possesses as a work of art. On the
wires that form the meshes Of the screen
futter hundreds of odds and ends Of old
rags tied there by persons afflicted with
disease. 1t is said to have the same effect
that an application of stump water does
on warts, it removes them, in your mind
There is one other point Of inter
est left to describe mot that l have ex-
hausted the subject by any means) and
Picking our way of Friday evening.
Just before the Jews Sabbath, through
narrow streets of filth and rubbish. con-
fronted on all sides by abject poverty
and persistent beggary, we arrive in a
narrow passage, on one side Of which
rises high ancient wall constructed of
massive rocks to support the
filing in for the construction Of
the plateau on which the last
named mosque stands. Here sights and
SOuHuS greeted us tilat were mover euOuSn
to satisfy even the taste Of one in whom
sightseeing has began to pail. Jems of
different natiOnalities and various sta
tons in life, many Ill tatters and some IN
silks. had congregated as was their Gus
tom. to bewail and lament in piteous ac-
cents. the misfortunes of Zion. All had
their faces turned to the wall, the women
lamenting in tones of sorrow. the men
swaying the body back and forth and
reading aloud from the Hebrew book con-
tanned in the hands of each one. I doubt
if a similar sight can be witnessed in the
world outside OF the walls of Jerusalem.
Rothschild when he was here became
much impressed with the poverty and
wretchedness of his race in Palestine and
has done much to alleviate it by the
building of an immenee hospital, which
also furnishes apartments for hundreds